The Nanny

By: Ruth Heald

Narrated by: Katie Villa

As I clutched baby Chloe’s blanket, tears streamed down my face as I remembered what happened the night she disappeared. Looking up at the apartment block I once called home, my mind was crowded with memories. David’s words echoed in my head, telling me to get out and never come back. I understood why: Our mistake had ruined everything.

When I accepted a job working as a nanny for David and Julie and their young children, I was excited to be making my own way in the world. I bonded with baby Chloe instantly and would have done anything for her. She had David's thick, dark hair and smiling eyes. I fell in love with her and was excited for my future.

But when a terrible mistake led to Chloe disappearing, I was instantly blamed. With no evidence, I was let go and I returned home to rebuild my life.

Twenty years later and I am still haunted by what happened. I have a family of my own now, and I’ve worked hard to be the best wife and mother I can be, but I’ve never forgotten the child who stole my heart.

Then a young woman arrives on my doorstep, and the past secret that I have kept from my family comes hurtling into my present.

I try to tell myself that I am overreacting. But the woman in front of me looks so much like David. Who is she, and why is she here? And if I welcome her in will she want to be a part of my life, or destroy it?

A totally addictive psychological thriller. Perfect for fans of Lisa Jewell, T.M. Logan, and Shalini Boland.

©2022 Ruth Heald (P)2022 Bookouture, an imprint of Storyfire Ltd.

Slow pace not a thriller

Slow, repetitive, lost interest. It’s a well-worn theme, nannies. The story itself could have been good, but it was dragged out. Too much back and forth between the past and the present without bringing anything new to light. Too much domestic detail about their day to day domestic existence. The ending was wrapped up well, but too long to get there.

Good but a bit predictable

I love these suspense novels . I generally and surprised at the ending, but I found myself getting frustrated with the protagonist most of the novel for not speaking up for herself and not “getting it” sooner. What I knew early on in the book. But it was an exciting read nonetheless.

riveting

loved the twists and turns. well done before to look for more of Ruth's work

So Many Nanny Books.....

So many "Nanny" books, so little time.

"The Nanny" was a thriller that lacked thrills.

Although the "What really happened 20 years ago?" premise had potential, the book was slow-paced, predictable, and repetitious.

I listened to the audiobook and the book would have benefited from multiple narrators.

One star rounded up.

2 stars

I was never fully able to get into The Nanny by Ruth Heald. There is a lot of backstory with little events sprinkled throughout to try and keep readers' interest. I found Hailey's behavior with Johanna a bit contrived given what we knew each believed. I also knew most of the twists much too early on, which robbed me of being able to be immersed in the story. The final straw for me was The Nanny being told in third person instead of first. Having finished it, I understand why Ruth felt this was best to pull off a specific twist, but I think it's still unnecessary and continued to detract from the story.

Katie Villa is a joy to listen to.

Overall, I give The Nanny 2 stars.